Hockey Hall of Fame goalie Ken Dryden passed away on Friday at the age of 78 after a long battle with cancer. The Montreal Canadiens great was a dominant presence between the pipes for Les Habitants from 1971 to 1979, winning six Stanley Cups, five Vezina’s, a Conn Smythe, and Calder Trophy, as well as being the starter along with Tony Esposito in the 1972 Canada-Russia Summit Series.   

The Hamilton, ON native had many connections to the Buffalo Sabres, the strongest one being his older brother Dave playing for the Sabres from their inaugural season in 1970-71 until 1974. The younger Dryden faced his sibling in one of his first NHL starts and was the Canadiens starter in an upset victory over the Chicago Blackhawks.    

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After a quarter-final loss to New York in 1972, the Canadiens played the Sabres in their first playoff appearance, beating Buffalo in six games on the way to his second Cup. The following season, Dryden held out the entire year and worked as a law clerk, but returned to the Habs in 1974. 

The Sabres exacted a bit of revenge on the big netminder, as the French Connection-led club bested the Canadiens in six games in reach their first Stanley Cup Final. Buffalo was the last club that Dryden lost a playoff series, as the Habs defeated the two-time Cup winning Flyers in 1976, Boston in 1977 and 1978, and the Rangers in 1979 before retiring in 1979.      

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